Farah

Farah (or more often ‘Woff by Farah’) is another brand that keeps coming up when shopping vintage menswear, so far in wardrobe staples like those pictured above from the shop—the blue blazer with gold buttons, wool trousers, striped suspenders, a tweed sport coat… Or else mainstays are the only Farah items that I notice (and the rest is better forgotten). From its website, I learned that the Farah brand is still in business in the UK today (no mention of Woff by Farah). And that Farah started in the 1920s as an American manufacturer of work shirts and work pants and converted to military production during World War II. The brand became famous for their hopsack canvas trousers in 1970s and 1980s Britain, where hipsters appropriated the working class slacks as a counter culture statement.

Like its Farah ancestors or cousins, Woff by Farah appears manufactured for a mass market at an affordable price point. It was never intended to represent inspired design or the height of fine tailoring, but it did achieve dependable style and quality. Today the vintage wearer can use the occasional piece to good effect or to help create a classic look, proving that even as vintage, Farah embodies the accessibility for which it was known.